The Kimchee Cookbook: Fiery Flavors and Cultural History of Korea's National Dish

by Kim Man-Jo

Explains the history and process of making this traditional Korean dish, and gathers more than eighty recipes organized by season

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking

120 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1999

Reviews

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book as much because I am an amateur historian as because I love Korean food, especially kimchi. The book provides photography and historical references as far back as 3000 years as the authors trace the 'development' of kimchi to the present. I used the word 'development' advisedly as the chiles many of us associate with kimchi did not become common in kimchi preparation until the 1700s. Much is made of the influence of the Japanese 'pickling' methods in the early development of kimchi. I wish there were a bit more detail on this, but certainly there was much exchange between the the Japanese and Koreans -- ah besides the great number of wars in which they engaged.

Some of the word choices in the book live me a bit baffled and the initial reference to the process of kimchi making as "controlled spoilage" is hardly appetizing. However, that aside there is great attention to detail and to the process of kimchi making. Anyone who is serious about the making of kimchi needs to give this book a read, even if one is already a skilled practitioner of the art.

This book is by far the most comprehensive I have read about the different vegetables used for making kimchi and the various flavoring and seasoning ingredients that can be added. The book also painstakingly lays out useful ground rules for the making of kimchi. It is also the most comprehensive tome I have found on this subject.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The introduction was incredibly well written with plenty of information about the history of kimchee as well as some scientific background on how the fermentation process works with the various ingredients.
I absolutely plan to refer back to this book when I get the ingredients to make kimchee.

[Janin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the combination of history and recipes.